Transposing key-board for pianos



0. BERGGREN.

TRANSPOSING KEY BOARD FOR PIANOS. 1 No. 433,315. Patented July 29, 1890.

O rze' yyren SvwM Ltoz witnesses 2 14 I I THE NORRIS PETERS CD. PNDTUWIL'MO WASNINEYJN, D, C,

and useful Improvements in Key-Boards for Pianos; and I do hereby declare the follow- UNITED STATES oscARBEEeeR'EN, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

AURORA, NEBRASKA.

TRANSPOSING KEY-BOARD FOR PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,315, dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed April 30, 1890- Serial No. 350.081. (N0 model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR BERGGREN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Aurora, in the county of Hamilton and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in transposing keyboards for musical instruments, the object being to provide an attachment for the keyboards of pianos or organs by means of which the performer can readily transpose the music into any key, so that while playing from the notes as written he will be actually playing either higher or lower, as may be desired; and the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In carrying out my invention the same is adapted to be applied to the ordinary keys of a piano or organ, and when it is desired to use the full scope or number of keys supple mental blocks may be secured to the frame of the instrument over which the transposing key-board may be passed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved transposing key-board applied in positionupon an ordinary keyboard, a portion of the upper key-board being left off to better show the construction of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the under side of a section of the transposing key-board.

-A refers to the ordinary key-board of a musical instrument, at the ends of which may be located blocks or sections A, having raised portions a and a. The base A, to which the strips a and a are attached, may be comparatively thin, so that they may be applied at the ends of an ordinary key-board. To the strip B, which is located above and in the rear of the key-board and forms a part of the piano-frame,

board-that is to say, that it has the same numher of keys, both black and white, and can be moved laterally over the key-boardAby simply pushing the same to one side orthe other, as may be desired. The strip 0 is provided at its front edge with a head a, and is provided on its front upper vertical edge with a strip of felt 0, against which the upper edges of the ends of the keys D and D abut. The ends of the keys D and D are recessed to correspond with the projections 0, carried by strips 0, and the keys are secured in place by a metallic plate E, which has a series of projecting fingers E, the rear or back edge of said strip being rigidly secured tothe strip 0, while the' projecting fingers are attached to the respective keys. The white keys D are cut away or grooved on their under sides, as shown at (Z, and are provided with pieces of felt d, as shown, and at their rear ends they are slightly cut away at the portions where the fingers E lie, as shown at e. The black keys D are notcut away at their rear edges, but are provided at their outer edges with felt pads f. A key-board thus constructed will be light and can be easily handled and readily applied to both pianos and organs, and as it is comparatively thin it will not project upwardly on the strip B sufficient to interfere with the stops when used in connection with an organ. The transposing key-board can be moved either to the right or left, according to the key in which the music is written.

In connection with the transposing keyboard it is necessary to employ some means whereby all the keys at a point adjacent to the front ends of the black keys willbe brought on a line, and Iaccomplish this by employing a strip G, which is preferably of metal, which I provide with a padded or felt strip to contact with the keys, and the upper edge of said strip G has either attached thereto a wire orbar, or it may have struck up therefrom ears, to which are secured bails g, which pass through or are suitably attached to the blocks H, which rest upon the white keys between the black ones, as shown in the drawings. The upper edges of these blocks lie flush with the tops of the lower black keys, so that the pads d and f on the white and black keys of the transposing key-board will depress the black keys directly or the white keys through the medium of the blocks H.

The construction of the device hereinbefore described is extremely simple and the transposing key board can be readily shifted. Should it be desirable to play the piece in the key in which it is written, the keyboard may be placed so that the keys thereof will corre spond with the fixed key-board; but should the performer be unable to play the piece in the difficult key in which it is written he can simply move the transposing key-board, so that while he may be fingering in an easy keysuch as the key of O-he is in reality playing the piece in the key in which it is written. A fixed scale may be used and one of the retaining devices employed as a pointer in connection therewith. It will be readily seen by this device that I provide a simple and efficient means for readily and accurately changing the pitch of the tone of an instrument at any time such change may be desired.

By using the strips E with the fingers E a sufficient spring movement is given to the transposing key-board to hold the keys firmly upon the permanent keys of the instrument, while the recesses in the ends of the keys fitting in the tongues prevent the twisting of the keysand insures a direct vertical movement thereof.

Instead of using the supplemental blocks A at the end of the permanent key-board, the transposing key-board may be made less than an octave shorter than the permanent key-board of the instrument, and substantially the same results will be obtained.

I am aware that prior to my invention it has been prop osed to provide musical instruments with key-boards which could be shifted when it is desired to produce the tones of music differently from what it is written; also, that a transposing key-board which could be shifted to the right and left has been used in connection with a permanent key-board, and I therefore do not claim, broadly, the combi nation of the transposing key-board with a permanent key-board.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of an adjustable transposing key-board having keys permanently secured to a strip, said strip being adapted to be adjustably secured to the instrument,

-' and a series of blocks pivotally attached to a support that rests upon the white keys of the permanent key-board, said pivoted blocks being located when in use between the black keys of the permanent key-board, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a piano or musical instrument having a stationary key-board, of a movable key-board adapted to be secured in place above the same, said movable keyboard having pads d and f, secured to the under sides of the keys, the white keys being recessed, and blocks pivotally secured to a strip with which the white keys of the trans posing board engage, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

As a new article of manufacture, a transposing key-board for musical instruments, consisting of astrip 0, having at its front end a projecting tongue, keys D and D, having grooves which lie within said tongues, and a metallic strip E, with projecting spring-fingers to which the keys are attached, substantially as shown, and forthe purpose set forth.

4. A transposing key-board consisting of a strip 0, adapted to be adjustablysecured to the frame of an instrument, spring-fingers connecting the keys to the strip 0, the white keys having recesses e at their rear ends and grooves d near their front portions, pads d and f,secnred to the under sides of the keys, and a series of blocks, as H, adapted to rest upon the white keys of the permanent keyboard and against which the white keys of the transposing key-board abut, while the black keys of the transposing key-board are directly in contact with the black keys of the permanent keyboard, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination, with a piano or similar musical instrument having a key board, blocks A, having raised strips a and a,which are adapted to be placed adjacent to the ends of the permanent key-board, a padded strip carrying a series of blocks pivotally connected' thereto, said blocks being adapted to rest upon the white keys, catches, as b, for securing the transposin g board above the permanent key-board, a longitudinally-grooved strip 0, having keys D and D secured thereto, said keys having pads or felt pieces (I and (Z' secured on a line with each other, so as to contact with the pivoted blocks and directly with the black keys, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR BERGGREN.

IVitnesses:

F. BERTHEAU, A. J. STENsoN. 

